


Word Play

by tromana



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Angst, Animals, Banter, Car Accidents, Carnival, Character Death, Child Murder, Crime Fighting, Crime Scenes, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Drama, Episode: s03e02 Cackle-Bladder Blood, Established Relationship, F/M, Fame, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Holidays, Humor, Kissing, Lies, Minor Injuries, Past Tense, Reunions, Secret Relationship, Subterfuge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-28
Updated: 2013-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 06:58:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/659177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tromana/pseuds/tromana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drabble a day keeps the doctor away. Uh, maybe not, actually. But it'll hopefully be a lot of fun. Jane/Lisbon, mostly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fame

**Author's Note:**

> After having a ball with Letters and Words, I decided I wanted to keep writing a drabble (almost) every day. Not sure how long I'll keep this up for but we'll see. I'll be asking for prompts and/or starting words to keep this challenging for me, but I'm also going to free myself from the restriction of the alphabet or anything else for that matter.

She paused the video when Jane walked into her office.

He was now officially a consultant for the CBI. _Her_ consultant, specifically.

But he was still broken.

Nothing like this suave, charming… slimy and creepy individual who had given that interview a couple of years back.

Lisbon hadn’t been all that impressed. Part of her could _tell_ he wasn’t a psychic, and not because she had been told prior to watching it.

Jane had been at the height of his game when he’d been cut down to size.

She hoped she could find the good man buried inside of him.


	2. Daisy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's in a name? Missing scene from 3x02 Cackle-Bladder Blood.

“So, Daisy,” Lisbon said in a moment’s solitude later on. “Where’d the name come from, huh?”

“You don’t like her name?”

 “I don’t look at an elephant and think, oh she looks like a Daisy.”

Jane considered what to tell her next. The truth or a lie. She was getting better at reading him, but there were some things he didn’t feel comfortable sharing.

“She was born on the circuit. I watched. I said ‘she looks as fresh as a daisy’ and the name stuck.”

“That didn’t really happen, did it?”

“It did if that’s what you want to believe.”


	3. Bending the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel drabble to 'Daisy'. Why Jane lied.

He’d almost told her the truth.

_Almost._

Jane knew exactly why he had bended it slightly when speaking to Lisbon. He had never felt entirely comfortable speaking about his wife to her. It seemed like a boundary that shouldn’t be crossed. Angela was his past, but lived with him every day in his heart. Lisbon was his present. They couldn’t meet, even if he wanted them to.

Angela had been the one to name Daisy, right down to the ‘fresh as a daisy’ quip.

That had been the moment when he realized that she wasn’t just a friend to him.


	4. Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working with Jane can be a competition at times.

“So, you were wrong about the case, Jane. Big deal,” Lisbon said with a smirk.

It wasn’t often that he was wrong and she was right, and of course, she was fully intent on taking the opportunity to remind him of the fact. There had been one small, seemingly insignificant thing that he had failed to notice at the crime scene.

But she had.

And that information had closed the case.

“It’s rude to boast, Teresa,” Jane answered back.

She rolled her eyes and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Clearly, he wasn’t too annoyed to kiss her though.


	5. Safari

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane has major issues with names and their meanings.

“It’s not much of a safari if it’s in this country is it, really?” Jane complained.

“Jane,” Lisbon started warningly.

“I mean, surely the concept of a safari means the animals are _wild_?”

She rolled her eyes and instead, greeted the coroner with a firm handshake. The body had been dumped in the middle of ‘Ray’s African Adventure Safari Park’ and mercifully, said African animals had been moved to their respective enclosures. Lisbon hoped they hadn’t done too much damage to the body first though.

“Can you pick on semantics later and let us get on with our job first?”


	6. Baby Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!

“They don’t have tiger cubs here…”

“Of course not, it’s an _African_ safari park,” Lisbon replied dryly.

The case was closed; the keeper had been killed by somebody who disapproved of the work he did with the lions. Apparently, throwing him in their den was seen as ‘poetic’ justice. And quite frankly, Lisbon had now had enough of lions to last a lifetime.

“If you finish that sentence off with lion cubs…”

“No.. . well… they do have lion cubs, but I thought you might be interested in their brand new elephant calf?”

She smiled. That was far more like it.


	7. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time apart is never easy.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and held on for dear life. Burying her head into his neck, she reveled in the feel of his solid hands across her lower back. Lisbon felt his heartbeat thrumming reassuringly, the warmth of his breath in her ear, heard his gentle whisperings.

The words didn’t matter. She just needed to convince herself that this wasn’t an illusion, that this was real.

Jane had disappeared on her before, but she had never envisaged that it would last for so long or hurt so much.

They’d talk later. For now, only touch was necessary.


	8. Carob Cupcakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girl Guides certainly have the ability to pressurize people into buying their goods...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the February 2013 monthly challenge on Paint It Red. Prompt: in another life.

“I shouldn’t,” Patrick said as the Girl Guide thrust a box of chocolate cakes in front of him.

“Oh, please sir. We even have a carob version for a healthier alternative.”

“In that case, I’ll take two,” he said as he handed over the money.  He watched with a wistful smile as she scurried off, keen to make her next sale.

Teresa wandered downstairs, still toweling her hair dry. She frowned as Patrick closed the door and presented her with a cupcake.

“What’s this?”

“Carob cupcake. Just think, in another life, _this_ could have been far more popular than chocolate.”


	9. Shirt Cuffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His wife had bought it for him.

It was a crisp white shirt. Monogrammed on the cuffs; a hint of class, his wife had said when she’d bought it for him.

He’d only tried it on once. Found it uncomfortable and worse, he didn’t think it suited him. In the end, he’d just stuffed it in the back of the closet.

After she died, however much he hated it, he didn’t have the heart to get rid of it.

In the end, Lisbon was the one who had dug it out again.

She understood when he said he had to keep it, but didn’t explain precisely why.


	10. Routines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisbon likes to do things by the book.

Teresa Lisbon has a strict morning routine.

Get up, straight into the shower, dry off and clean her teeth.

She dresses in the clothes she picked up the night before.

Downstairs, for that first cup of coffee of the day.

While the coffee machine works its magic, she makes toast. She doesn’t have time for much else.

After eating, it’s straight to work.

She checks her e-mails, catches up on various cases.

She prepares for the day ahead before everyone else arrives.

This morning, she’s awoken with a kiss.

Trust Jane to be the one to break her morning routine.


	11. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The immediate aftermath that comes after Red John.

When it’s all over, it feels natural for him to go seek her out. She’s sitting outside the morgue with a blank expression on her face, like she doesn’t know how or what to feel right now. That’s good, he thinks, because neither does he.

“Is it him?” she asks. He can’t blame her for that; he has got it wrong in the past.

He nods.

“You sure?” she persists.

“I’m sure,” he echoes.

Then, he envelops her into a strong hug. He’s relieved she’s still here, grateful that she always will be. They have each other and that’s enough.


	12. Once Upon a Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things could have been so different.

Her story could have been so different.

If her mom hadn’t died.

If her dad hadn’t either.

She might have had a childhood. Settled down, established a family of her own.

Instead, she feels like she is lost in the woods. She’s dedicated her life to her career instead. Having a family isn’t an option when there’s the possibility of letting them down. Never did she want her own kin to suffer the same horrors that she has.

But meeting Jane has changed things.

Maybe, this is her chance to stop living through her work and start living for herself.


	13. A Few Words

“Jane? A few words?”  
  
Jane opened an eye to look up at her from the couch. When she threatened to kick it, he sat bolt upright and smiled broadly at her.  
  
“Yes, my dear Lisbon?”  
  
“Not here,” she hissed.  
  
He touched her gently on the elbow as they walked to her office. When she pulled away, Jane was mildly disappointed. Once the office door was firmly shut behind them, he touched her lightly on the cheek and again, she stepped back.  
  
“You need to stop doing that?”  
  
“What? This?” he asked as he placed a kiss firmly on her lips.


	14. Bert and Ernie

“If I’m Bert and you're Ernie, what does that make the rest of the team?” Rigsby asked as he sipped at his coke.  
  
“Bosco’s team doesn’t call them anything.”  
  
“I’m not on about Bosco’s team,” Rigsby continued and he perched on the edge of Cho’s desk. “Who do you think they are?”  
  
“Why would I think about my co-workers being anyone but who they are?”  
  
“Oh, you know, for fun.”  
  
Cho stopped researching the case to look at Rigsby. He’d already had enough of this game.  
  
“Not my idea of fun. Why, who do you think they are?”  
  
“Never mind.”


	15. Easter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may be out of season now, but it wasn't when I wrote it!

Van Pelt gripped the basket tightly in her hands. She had picked out something especially for everyone in the team. Easter was about celebrating the resurrection of Christ, life and family. The team was her surrogate family, ergo, she had to show how much she appreciated them.  
  
Nobody was there yet, much to her relief. She skipped into Lisbon’s office and placed the dark chocolate egg on her boss’ desk. Then, she headed to the bullpen. Cho had a nice milk chocolate egg, Rigsby a Rocky Road one.  
  
And Jane?  
  
She practically threw the white chocolate bunny in his face.


	16. Beyond the Veil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: curtain, supplied by Water-please.

He can hear the distant sound of their voices calling him, begging him to come closer, nearer.

It’s the siren’s call. They are calling him to his doom, wishing for his downfall, and giving him false promises and pretty lies.

However much he wants them to be his family, it never will be.

In spite of his religious beliefs, it’s not enough to get rid of the voices in his head. He knows they’re not real, even if they sound like they do exist.

Closure could get rid of them. Red John’s demise could stop it all.

It’s unlikely, though.


	17. Angel vs. Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to get back into writing a drabble a day. Any prompts would be much appreciated.  
> \- tromana x

He’s at a crossroads now.

Torn between what he wants and what he needs.

Between right and wrong.

Good and evil.

Heaven and hell.

There’s an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

He wants, needs closure. Needs to say goodbye to Angela, close the door on that aspect of his life. While Red John lives and breathes, he cannot do that.

But then, there’s his guiding light. The reason he still has some vestiges of hope. It gives him a reason to keep breathing, to keep living.

He needs Teresa Lisbon, but does he deserve her?


	18. One Of Those Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by someone at work, because, why not?

Lisbon cursed as the contents of her purse spilled across her office floor. Scowling, she found herself crawling after her possessions as they rolled away from her grasp. It had been a bad day. Jane had offended a semi-famous actor who was threatening to sue, Bertram had announced another round of layoffs and now, everyone was stressed.

All she wanted to do was get home and relax. She didn’t even notice footsteps approaching from behind her.

“Lisbon, I know you love me, but you don’t have to get down on bended knee every time you see me,” Jane said, grinning.


	19. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt - and title - supplied by dancingthrough.

Lisbon sat cross-legged in the couch, staring vacantly at the screen.

But wasn’t really even attempting to concentrate on the movie; it was one she’d seen several times before, and she had always enjoyed it. It didn’t matter that it was going by unregistered, or that the bowl of popcorn remained untouched.

All she could think about was Jane and the way that his arm rested gently across her shoulders. Not once had she ever imagined that they could share such physical intimacy as this. Right now, she didn’t need anything more than his touch. That would always be enough.


	20. Somebody Had To

Interviewing relatives of the deceased was never the easiest part of the job, but it was necessary. Thankfully, this specific interview had been going comparatively smoothly and the mother was managing to hold it together.

“Was Katy taking any medication at the time of her death?” Lisbon enquired.

“Um, she was on Gabapentin for her chronic knee injury and anti-depressants,” she answered back.

“And what were the anti-depressants _for_?” Rigsby asked as he made a note of the detail.

Jane just smirked and Lisbon’s face fell into her hands. There were some questions that only Wayne Rigsby would ever ask.


	21. Cold Tea

Jane picked up his cup of tea, smiled gently before taking a sip of it. Grimacing, he placed it back on the bedside table and scowled. In his honest opinion, there was nothing worse than cold tea. Slowly, he turned over to regard the woman lying next to him. She smiled back and he reached out to touch her face gently.

“My tea’s gone cold,” he complained, pouting as he did so.

She chuckled and placed a chaste kiss gently on his lips.

“Well, if you insist upon kissing me instead of actually drinking it, it will go cold, Patrick.”


	22. Unequivocal Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Miss Peg for the prompt!

She remembers the day when she got her first puppy clear as day.

It was a month before her mom died, and she had been begging for one for years. Eventually, her parents relented and allowed her to pick out the most adorable golden retriever pup in the litter.

Teresa devoted her life to Rocky; he made her feel safe even when the world around her was chaos. He was loyal, steadfast, and never let her down. She loved him and him, her.

When she had to give him up, it broke her heart.

She never got another dog since.


	23. The Fall

Strapped and manacled; he was not going to get out of this one. All plea bargains and appeals had run dry and now, his death was going to occur imminently. Within the hour, he was going to be a corpse, rotting flesh in a morgue.

She had warned him that, one day, it was going to come down to this. Sometimes, she could not save him. He’d taken that step too far and now he was going to die.

He caught her eye as he was tipped horizontal. He saw her leave.

And wished he could take it all back.


	24. Time Flies

Lisbon yawned and stretched expansively. She blinked and then looked at the mound of paperwork that was still stacked in her inbox tray and sighed. As much as she loved the job, there never seemed to be an end in sight when it came to the paperwork. Sometimes, she wished there was less administration and more time actually fighting crime. But of course, that was never going to happen, not with the insanity that was health and safety these days.

“Hey.”

She looked up to see Jane in the doorframe.

“It’s 9pm, you ready?”

“Already? Where did the time go?”

 


	25. Kaleidoscope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Lothiriel84 for the prompt.

The news hits him like a ton of bricks.

Red John, dead.

Lisbon doesn’t tell him how.

He doesn’t need to know.

It’s irrelevant.

Doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t even care.

He finds his couch.

Sleeps.

_Dreams._

He’s at peace.

For once.

_Finally._

Lisbon is nearby.

He’s safe.

So is she.

That’s the main thing.

All he cares about.

All he needs.

Colors seep back into his life.

Greens.

Purples.

Oranges.

Blues.

Yellows.

Red.

Kaleidoscopic.

Beautiful.

_Real._

He wakes.

He knows what to do.

Stands.

Walks.

She’s waiting.

She knew he’d come.

Words are unnecessary.

They’re together now.

It’s about time.


	26. On the Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Miss Peg for the prompt.

The body was swollen, with blisters and a vicious rash. It was hard to believe that this was a nine-year-old boy. Briefly, she glanced over at Van Pelt who looked pale and she couldn’t blame her for that; this one of the few things that none of them were desensitized to.

She was glad that she had kept Jane away from this one. He wouldn’t have been able to stomach this. Now, they had to work out whether or not this was murder.

Just when she was about to take a step forwards, Cho held her back.

“Careful; poison Ivy.”


	27. Harlequin

Red John had waged war on him and his family.

He had plundered and stolen the things most precious to his heart. They were one of a kind, irreplaceable.

Patrick Jane was never going to stand for that. He needed revenge like the blood in his veins, the oxygen in his breath and the electrical charges in his synapses. It was what drove him, what kept him going, kept him sane.

He needed it.

And so, like the _hellequin_ of old, he was not going to give up until he got what he wanted: Red John’s blood on his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harlequin: probably derived from the Old French, hellequin, meaning ‘the devil’s horsemen.’


	28. Crash

The car came to a screeching halt. Immediately, Grace flew out of her SUV and was immediately at Lisbon’s side. Rigsby was dialing 911, so all Grace cared about was the state of the boss and her consultant. They could chase down the persons responsible for the hit-and-run later. For now, Grace had to make sure Jane and Lisbon survived.

“You’re going to be okay,” she breathed, though the sight of so much blood made her cringe.

“Don’t worry about me,” Lisbon replied, her voice ragged. “What about Jane?”

Grace cast her gaze over to him and her heart sank.


	29. Dim

“How’s the book?”

Lisbon glanced up briefly, put her bookmark in place and sighed. “Mediocre.”

She watched as Jane glided over to the bed. Swallowing, she placed her book on the bedside table and then melted into the kisses that he insisted she deserved. Life was so different. The dangers in world had disappeared now that Red John was gone. They were safe to do what they pleased, within reason.

As Jane’s hands skimmed over her taut abdomen, she reached over and dimmed the light. She knew what was coming next and couldn’t wait.

She had everything she wanted now.


	30. Futile

“Come on, Lisbon.”

“No.”

“You know you want to.”

“No, I don’t. I’ve got work to do.”

“Meh, it’ll still be here when you get back. But these tickets? They are the last ones for the Cirque du Soleil while they’re in Sacramento. Do you really want to miss out on this opportunity?”

“If you didn’t cause me so many problems at work, then I wouldn’t have to make such sacrifices, would I?”

“If you accepted more of my offers, I wouldn’t cause all those problems then, would I?”

“I’m not going to win this, am I?”

“No, you’re not.”


	31. Erratic

“Is that…?”

“I think it is.”

“But it’s been years since he was last here.”

“I heard his wife died.”

“Well, _I_ heard his wife and daughter were brutally murdered.”

“Really?”

“By Red John.”

“No way.”

“But it explains so much, doesn’t it? His weird behavior, why he’s only just come back to this place. This was where he met his wife, you know?”

“But Patrick Jane has always been weird.”

“Fine, weirder than usual then.”

“…you might be clutching at straws there.”

“He tried to kill himself!”

“Should we call a doctor for him?”

“Yeah, I think we should.”


	32. Loved

He stood and stared out at the sunset. Oranges, reds and pinks sparkled beautifully off the ocean and Jane couldn’t help but sigh. It was a moment of perfect tranquility. These were the kind of moments which Angela loved best. They’d tuck Charlotte up in bed and then come out together and watch as another day ended. Together, they’d remain there hand in hand, until all they could see was the inky blues and shining stars.

A lithe pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Jane didn’t need to be psychic to know whose they were.

He wasn’t alone anymore.


	33. Soft

“Hey,” Lisbon spoke without bothering to look at Jane when he joined her.

“You kept them as a kid, didn’t you?” Jane said softly. “That’s why you’ve snuck over her despite the fact we have a murder to investigate.”

“Yeah. I miss them,” Lisbon admitted.

“Why don’t you get another?” He glanced down at the blue dwarf lop she had been caressing. “You seem fond of her.”

“I can’t, not with my job.”

“You don’t have to keep making these sacrifices, Teresa.”

“Yes, I do. She would be dependent on me and we both know how dangerous my job is.”


	34. Chapter 34

“Mr. Jane. You have to let go of her now.”

The voice cuts through him to the bone. He can’t let go, he just can’t. The longer he clings on with his eyes shut, the longer he can pretend that this hasn’t happened. If he can just imagine for a little longer that he is holding her in a gentle caress, then it’ll be okay.

But it won’t be.

Because his imagination, his memory palace isn’t a real place.

It’s all locked in his mind.

The world feels like it is shaking. Déjà vu hits him.

So does the blood.


	35. Shackles

She nibbled and sucked gently at his earlobe and Jane groaned at her careful ministrations. He had always known that underneath that repressed veneer there was quite a saucy character; all it had taken was a little work for him to reveal it. Now, she even felt comfortable kissing him on the job, which was a pleasant surprise.

Then, he heard an all-too-familiar click.

“Hey, what’s that for?” he asked, pouting as he pulled at his shackled wrist.

“It gives me a head start. I don’t want you in danger, Jane. Picking the handcuffs will at least slow you down.”


	36. Broken

The pain shot through him like a bullet from a gun. Jane winced, stared at the offending object which had inflicted this great agony upon his body and called for help. He wasn’t good with pain, he never had been.

He felt reassured when he heard the sound of Lisbon’s soft footsteps approaching. However, she took one look at his injury, rolled her eyes and stalked away.

“Come on, Jane,” Lisbon said exasperatedly, tapping her foot as she stood beside their front door. “It’s just a broken fingernail. We have to get moving; this case won’t solve itself, you know!”


	37. Tick, Tick, Tock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for Miss Peg in the Paint It Red 2013 Stockings Event.

Racing.

Running.

Breathing.

Walking.

Tick, tick, tick.

Watching.

Stalking.

Charming.

Killing.

Drip, drip, drip.

Blood.

Bones.

Knives.

Blades.

Pause, pause, pause.

Covering.

Obscuring.

Marking.

Claiming.

Power, power. _More_.

Manipulating.

Twisting.

Changing.

Screaming.

Death dies _now_.

Bloodlust.

Godlike.

Superhuman.

Tyrant.

Pride, pride. _Proud_.

Shadowing.

Scheming.

Planning.

Gleaning.

Perfection is required.

Insult.

Disgust.

Family.

Murder.

Death becomes _them_.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Waving, not drowning.

Watching.

Watching.

Watching.

Waiting.

New moves now.

Solitary.

Shifting.

Silence.

Staining.

Change in the air.

Cohorts.

Minions.

Followers.

Murderers.

All as one.

Corruption.

Corruption.

Waiting.

Watching.

Jane, Lisbon and the others.

Tock, tock, tock.

Until…

Time…

Sto…


End file.
